1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to fitting a shoe on a wearer's foot and, more particularly, to adjusting an upper of the shoe to accommodate the size of the wearer's foot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shoes are manufactured in multiple graduated sizes to enable a wearer to select the best fit. Yet, once a shoe size is selected, the selected size is fixed, and the wearer must seek comfort in the fixed size despite the fact that the wearer's foot changes in size over time, and typically even over the course of a day.
To provide some measure of adjustability, the art has suggested the placement of removable inserts and discrete inflatable bladders within the shoe. The inserts are generally positioned outside the interior shoe lining and, due to their removability, are prone to becoming dislodged and lost. The discrete bladders are generally placed inside the upper and its lining and sometimes inside the shoe tongue. These bladders are usually inflated by a manually operated pump and, although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, are costly to manufacture and assemble in the shoe.